Happy Birthday to Me!

I cannot thank you guys enough for getting my fifty ninth sixtieth(!) year off to a such a great start. You guys RULE!

Chris and Ben, thanks for being the best of all hosts and for opening the door to your beautiful home. Thanks to Peter and Jane for the excellent conversation, the laughs and the port! Andrew, the sketch is completely amazing. Jeri, your bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizers were the bomb, and your transformation into kitchen commando totally saved the day. And of course, my wonderful wife Kelly orchestrated the whole thing. Thanks so much, Honey!

Not likely you remember me–I was your mail carrier at the time of the Oakland Hills fire. I was given a VHS copy of your video by a neighbor on Ocean View, but then I loaned it to someone and never got it back. I had been missing it ever since! Until now, that is. Thank you so so much for making it available here; it’s a fine piece of work and you shouldn’t be even a bit embarrassed. Over the years I sometimes thought of the moment when the screen is entirely black and there you are speaking to an unhappy cat. I lived in North Berkeley then (Albany now) and watched the live coverage on television, wondering if my route was gone. On Monday I literally ran up Ocean View from Broadway–I was so desperate to see. I still recall easily the smell and the fire trucks in every color from all over the area. As it turned out, the only homes on my particular route to be lost were those right near you on Margarido. Of course, many of my coworkers were nearly as devestated as the residents, and two of my fellow carriers did lose their home. Anyway, I don’t recall exactly how long after the fire I kept that route, but when I retired in 2004 I had a route in the hills near Joaquin Miller Park. So thanks again after all these years. I recall that when I came to your house I often talked to a fellow who I believe was named Tobias Steed. (?) Sometimes this all seems so long ago. Until I hear the kitty meowing.